Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-07
IN. meGIHNN ON TuE uENRE
GEORGE aNsvRM o. LAMB
TEsURE


lCAioago TribuHs.
DR.. MsGlynn is = priest and an Iriah-
man. He is also . deciple u Henry
sympathy with the poor Of Ireland.
Yet the language IN which they describe
the proposed "land reform" thew wish
90 see introduced In the URited States,
applies almost exsetly 20 the situation
in Ireland, except that they wouid have
the Government made the landlords
here. In bis spesch Ia the Academy of
Music last Tuesday, DF. McGlynn
saic;
/ am going ~ tell You what / said 20
Cardinal MeCloskey. When he said,
"Bnt yoa want 10 cut M Manhattan
Island in little pieces and Give everv-
BODY little bit,n / said. "No. don't
want 10 do anything Of the kind. We
will allow these owners 10 seem 10 be
the owners iust a. they have been for
many generations. How are We going
TO give back 70 the ponr man What be-
iones to hirl7 How shall We have that
beautiful state Of things Ia which
naucht shall be IN and all shall be wellf
Howf Simply by eOnhacatinR the rent
and allowing people naminallv to own,
II Won choose, the whole Of Manhattan
Island, n II will do them any good 20
n0minally own it; but while they have
the distinguished satisfaction Of SEEM
ing 10 own II. we are going 10 seaop the
meat aut 0t the she'll and allsw them
10 have the she'll. And hsv are ve 20
inc 10 do fhstg BY sirnply taxing ell
this land ana ell kindred bountiea %
Nature b the full amount OF the rental
value. II there isa't any rental value,
then there won't be any tax. II there 10
any rental value, then Il viii Be pre-
cisely what that value is. II the rental
value gees no. up % the taxes. II the
rental valne goes down, doga 90 the
taxes. II The rental value ceases. thep
the taxes cease. D0n't you sect Il 10
as clear a. the rose on yonr face"
Al, theFei "If the rental valne goes
up. up so the taxes. II the rental
value comes down, dswn come the
taxes.n bot how about improvements
and betterments2 What inducements
will any man who IL nominally awning
lard on Manhattan Island have 10 'ifr-
prove bis property n the result Of
such Improvement IL insfsnt coufsea-
tion Of increased rsnts7 McGlynn and
George propose 20 grasp the beHefit Of
improvements lust "a the Irish land
lords have dana; and the result OF such
a system wonld be the oonvergions
New York City iBts bowling wilder
ness, for the man who had no improve
ments upon bis property would at least
be Recessed from the snerous and dis
agreeable duty Of oolleeting rents 10 be
turned over 10 the State. TIE theory
that the lot owners OF New York Oity
are going 10 act No unaalaried earetak-
erH sud rent collectors for the Govern
ment is uutenable and absurd. George
and MeGlynn sre irving b take middle
| ground between the present system Of
land tenures aud the absolute eonhsoa-
ton Of land; bat in practice there
would be no middle ground. The
State wouid hsve not only 20 take the
lots bat 10 put improvements upon
them, and keep those improvements In
repair and then collect the rents; and
this would be the death knell 10 private
enterprise and competition, and would
Fesuls only IN the Fsnkest form Of Com
munism and S0sislistic slavery. The
advooa.es Of the George system ere
either fools or knaves. and sometimes
ve are puzzled 20 decide which.